holy of holies
- noun
- Literature
:
santo de los santos
- The library's rare manuscript collection is the holy of holies for scholars.
Examples
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The committee treated the old archives as a holy of holies that no one dared to alter.
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In the world of classical music, Beethoven’s symphonies are considered the holy of holies.
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Every politician fears to touch that holy of holies, the Social Security System.
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For many believers, the church is the holy of holies in their lives.
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For many believers, the church is the holy of holies in their lives.
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Every politician fears to touch that holy of holies, the Social Security System.
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The committee treated the old archives as a holy of holies that no one dared to alter.
Synonyms
126
4.1
A holy place where people go to pray and honor a saint or sacred object
55
5.5
A holy part of a religious building around the altar
14
3.5
A place where people go to pray, like a temple or church
11
2.9
A building where people gather for prayer or religious services
2
9.2
A sacred area in or near a mosque that has strict rules about behaviour
How Sacred
Surface Forms
Morphology
holy + of + holies
The central meaning 'especially sacred or inviolable' is related to the adjective 'holy', so a learner who knows 'holy' would likely infer a sense of strong sacredness. However, the archaic/genitive construction 'of holies' and the phrase's biblical, idiomatic history make the exact sense (a superlative, fixed collocation) hard to predict without prior exposure.
Etymology
Holy of holies is now used for anything people treat as the 'most sacred' or 'untouchable'. The phrase uses the words holy and holies to remind people of the temple room where only one person could go, so calling something the holy of holies shows you should not change or touch it.